The rapid and pervasive implementation of e-learning across education sectors has led researchers and practitioners to examine the pedagogical implications for these learning environments. The technologies, and the contexts in which they are used, provide both opportunities and complexities in how teaching and learning might occur. This complexity and discussion about quality in teaching led to the emergence of a research and development field, known as learning design, concurrent to the developments in e-learning. The field of learning design emerged, in the early 2000s, in an effort to reconceptualise teaching and learning practices to effectively make use of technology and to share those practices in such a way that educators could reuse and/or adapt the ideas of others in their own contexts. The work in this area has ranged from the development of technologies that support the reuse of designs, investigation of how designs can be documented and represented for interpretation by others, and examination about how teachers apply learning designs for their e-learning contexts. This chapter defines the field of learning design and describes the context in which it emerged. The chapter then describes the development work within the field, which primarily focuses on frameworks, repositories and tools to support teachers in their learning design practice. Finally, the chapter reviews the research and considers new directions and compatible areas of inquiry for the field

The rapid and pervasive implementation of e-learning across education sectors has led researchers and practitioners to examine the pedagogical implications for these learning environments. The technologies, and the contexts in which they are used, provide both opportunities and complexities in how teaching and learning might occur. This complexity and discussion about quality in teaching led to the emergence of a research and development field, known as learning design, concurrent to the developments in e-learning. The field of learning design emerged, in the early 2000s, in an effort to reconceptualise teaching and learning practices to effectively make use of technology and to share those practices in such a way that educators could reuse and/or adapt the ideas of others in their own contexts. The work in this area has ranged from the development of technologies that support the reuse of designs, investigation of how designs can be documented and represented for interpretation by others, and examination about how teachers apply learning designs for their e-learning contexts. This chapter defines the field of learning design and describes the context in which it emerged. The chapter then describes the development work within the field, which primarily focuses on frameworks, repositories and tools to support teachers in their learning design practice. Finally, the chapter reviews the research and considers new directions and compatible areas of inquiry for the field